Blissful, nourished & free

Tag: healing recipes

Just two weeks ago I turned 29. That felt a little weird to type or even think about. It’s odd to think I was just 18 when I started this blog. Where in the HECK did the time go? I was just a freshman in college and now I’m married thinking about kids. That provides a whole lot of perspective. I look at my blog and see how my taste in food has evolved over the years. I mean just by looking at the title of this post you can see how much I’ve decided to dip my toes into the ever expanding world of food. Nettles? Ramps? If you asked me 10 years ago what those things were I would have probably shrugged and not even know where to get them.

In true Taurus foodie fashion I welcomed my day of birth with deliciousness. An almond milk latte, avocado toast (not made by me) for brunch and a broccoli rabe pasta dish with a luscious creamy cheesy sauce garnished with slivered almonds (yea…talk about decadent af), an entire bottle of Valpolicella for dinner and a strawberry tart made by my fave french bakery for singing Happy Birthday. Simple elegance.

I decided that this year is all about simplicity, presence, playfulness and gratitude. My kitchen intentions are to continue to provide simple healthy seasonal eats as often as possible. I working out of this culinary rut, I promise. I don’t know how many freakin’ pesto recipes I have put on my blog but this one is different!!! Trust!!

Have you ever seen a nettle? Or a ramp?

Stinging Nettles (copyright Uwe H. Friese, Bremerhaven 2003)

Nettles or stinging nettles are a wild edible plant that has small sharp hairs that can actually irritate the skin. The weird part is even with that small inconvenience, it is nutrient-rich, a natural antihistamine (buh bye seasonal allergies), helps control blood sugar and a few other things (check it out here).

Ramps are the hot thang right now and to be honest I had NO idea what they were until last year. These wild, foraged leeks are only in season for a short period of time and if you’re not shopping at the farmer’s market can run up your grocery bill. The taste is similar to a leek that had a baby with garlic. Using it up in a pesto gives you an earthy, creamy, garlicky flavor without it being overwhelmingly garlicky.

Like this:

I must really really love myself. I made the bold decision to do a 21-day sugar detox. But wait. “G, don’t you already treat your body so good and don’t eat many sweets or use sweeteners?” This is true. Really true. Still…sometimes our bodies just need a break and need us to switch things up a bit.

See now this is no ordinary detox. I’m not eating BREAD or grains or my favorite fruits. I AM THE QUEEN OF AVOCADO TOAST! And I love rice. So this is no ordinary cleanse and this also means no pineapple or berries but I can have sour/pungent fruits (grapefruit or green apples- this tricks yo brain into thinking you’re having a sweet treat and lays those desires for sweets to rest).

It’s a ton of juggling but really an opportunity for me to train my palate and give my body a nice break. And when the poops are good, and the energy feels good, it’s aalllll good man.